1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to novel hydrogenases isolated from novel strains belonging to the genus Thermococcus, genes encoding the same, and methods of producing hydrogen using strains having the genes.
2. Background Art
Hydrogen energy is receiving attention as a next-generation energy source that can substitute for fossil fuels, because its calorific value per unit weight is at least three times higher than that of petroleum oils, while it does not emit substances that can adversely affect the environment, such as carbon dioxide, NOx and SOx.
Conventional processes for producing hydrogen include electrolysis of water, and the thermal-cracking or steam reforming of natural gas or naphtha. However, these production processes have a problem in that they require fossil fuels to provide high-temperature and high-pressure conditions. Also, these methods generate mixed gases containing carbon monoxide, and thus require a difficult process of removing carbon monoxide from the mixed gases.
On the other hand, biological methods of producing hydrogen using microorganisms have advantages in that it is not needed to make high-temperature and high-pressure conditions by introducing separate energy and in that the produced gases contain no carbon monoxide. Such biological hydrogen production methods can be broadly classified into methods utilizing photosynthetic microorganisms and methods utilizing non-photosynthetic microorganisms (mainly anaerobic microorganisms). Examples of the former methods include a method described in Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0680624, entitled “A method of producing hydrogen using the photosynthetic bacteria Rhodobacter sphaeroides strain having high hydrogen productivity at high salt concentration.”
However, the technology of culturing photosynthetic bacteria at high concentration using light as an energy source is not yet sufficiently developed, and prior photosynthetic bacteria have a shortcoming in that substrate inhibition is severe when a substrate of high partial pressure exists. Also, these bacteria have a problem in that their hydrogen production capacity can be maintained only in the presence of light.
Accordingly, attempts to produce hydrogen using microorganisms that can produce hydrogen using organic carbon have been continuously made, and examples thereof include Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0315663, entitled “Citrobacter sp. Y19 and production of hydrogen using the same”, and Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0315662, entitled “Rhodopseduomonas palustris P4 and production of hydrogen using the same”.
The present inventors previously filed a patent application relating to novel proteins isolated from novel hyperthermophilic Thermococcus onnurineus NA1 (accession number KCTC 10859BP) and genes encoding the same on Sep. 5, 2008 (Korean Patent Application No. 10-2008-0087794), and the present invention particularly relates to genes related to hydrogen production among the proteins and genes disclosed in the patent application. The present inventors have carried out experiments on the hydrogen production capacity of the above-described strain and, as a result, have found that the strain produces a large amount of hydrogen even in a high-temperature environment, and have also found novel hydrogenases which are highly expressed, particularly in culture conditions supplemented with carbon monoxide (CO) or formate, thereby completing the present invention.